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Acclaimed author Karen White returns to Charleston, South Carolina, with the second novel in the New York Times bestselling Tradd Street series.Melanie Middleton has grown accustomed to renovating old houses, but she never imagined she'd have to renovate her own life to include her estranged mother. Ginnette Prioleau Middleton left Charleston thirty-five years ago. She's returned wanting to protect the daughter she's never really known after receiving an ominous premonition.
Melanie never show more wanted to see her mother again, but with some prodding from her partner, Jack Trenholm, she agrees—and begins to rebuild their relationship. Together Melanie and Ginnette buy back their old home. With their combined psychic abilities they expect to unearth some ghosts. But what they find is a vengeful dark spirit whose strength has been growing for decades. It will take unearthing long buried secrets to beat this demon and save what's left of Melanie's family... show less
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I know I should say tell you all that this book is weird because it's about houses inhabited by dead souls/spirits/ghosts and it's Melanie who has the "gift" of being able to see them, whereas your average Joe can't. The funny thing is, I still like the book!
This book is more about Melanie and her strained relationship with her long-absent mother who just returned to Charleston. We still see her dad, Sophie, Chad, Nancy, and the housekeeper/cook. Jack is still a good part of the story, although you never seem to know if that "relationship" is coming or going. But that adds to the intrigue of the storyline. Rebecca is the new character introduced into this book. It's hard to decide if you like her or hate her!
Anyway, I was pleased with show more the book and I think I will continue the series. show less
This book is more about Melanie and her strained relationship with her long-absent mother who just returned to Charleston. We still see her dad, Sophie, Chad, Nancy, and the housekeeper/cook. Jack is still a good part of the story, although you never seem to know if that "relationship" is coming or going. But that adds to the intrigue of the storyline. Rebecca is the new character introduced into this book. It's hard to decide if you like her or hate her!
Anyway, I was pleased with show more the book and I think I will continue the series. show less
Rainy days seem to be particularly perfect for a ghost story, and so what better time to dive into The Girl on Legare Street by Karen White than a stormy evening? I first met Melanie Middleton a year ago, when I read The House on Tradd Street, when she inherited an old house and met true crime author Jack Trenholm. A realist and practical minded person, Melanie tried her hardest for years to ignore the voices of the dead who were speaking to her, but events in her life have made that impossible.
Melanie finds herself in the middle of another mystery, this one involving her own family. After 33 years, the mother that abandoned her as a child has returned and is seeking to re-buy the family home. That is not all Melanie's mother is after, show more however. A vengeful ghost is growing more powerful and is targeting Melanie and her family. Neither Melanie nor her mother could stand up to the ghost alone, but perhaps together they might be able to. The search to uncover the identity of the ghost and the ghost's rage reveal family secrets long kept buried.
The Girl on Legare Street is the kind of book I enjoy curling up with when I am looking for something light and suspenseful. There is a lot I like about the book. The author's writing style flows smoothly and I just love the Southern setting, especially being able to step inside these grand old houses, rich in history--not to mention the ghosts. The mystery itself intrigued me as family secrets and history often do. I've long been interested in genealogy, tracing my family tree and learning about the lives of my ancestors. Melanie's ancestry is rich in the area's history and I looked forward to uncovering each clue to the family's past as the story unfolded.
Melanie is as infuriating as ever. She's extremely stubborn and there were times in the book when I wanted to shake her and tell her to get over it, especially when it came to Jack. As she did in the previous book, she continues to fight her attraction to Jack Trenholm who is finishing up his book on the mystery surrounding the house on Tradd Street and helping her with her current predicament. Melanie's had to deal with a lot in her life, having been abandoned by her mother at a young age and then living with an alcoholic father. Trust does not come easy for her nor does relinquishing control. She's worked hard to be successful in her career as a realtor and to reach the point she is at currently in her life. Underneath her tough exterior, lies a more vulnerable, softer side to Melanie. Even for the times that Melanie may grate on my nerves, I do like her. She has spunk and a good head on her shoulders--at least when it comes to things other than men. And, in the end, she does the right thing.
Melanie has all her defenses up when her mother returns to her life, but as the ghost of her grandmother has tried to tell her, "we are not what we seem", so her mother's reason for leaving all those years ago may not be as cut and dry as Melanie believes. Her mother has her own secrets. Melanie and her mother have a lot of healing to do if they are to have any sort of relationship. While Melanie's relationship with Jack never seems to go anywhere, her relationship with her mother does in fact evolve over the course of the book. I could see the subtle changes in Melanie's relationship with her mother, as well as in her mother and father's relationship, the two of them having been estranged for a number of years as well.
I enjoyed my time with The Girl on Legare Street overall, even if I quickly grew tired of the back and forth between Melanie and Jack. My interest in ghost stories has increased in the last year or so and the world Karen White has created is good for a quick fix. show less
Melanie finds herself in the middle of another mystery, this one involving her own family. After 33 years, the mother that abandoned her as a child has returned and is seeking to re-buy the family home. That is not all Melanie's mother is after, show more however. A vengeful ghost is growing more powerful and is targeting Melanie and her family. Neither Melanie nor her mother could stand up to the ghost alone, but perhaps together they might be able to. The search to uncover the identity of the ghost and the ghost's rage reveal family secrets long kept buried.
The Girl on Legare Street is the kind of book I enjoy curling up with when I am looking for something light and suspenseful. There is a lot I like about the book. The author's writing style flows smoothly and I just love the Southern setting, especially being able to step inside these grand old houses, rich in history--not to mention the ghosts. The mystery itself intrigued me as family secrets and history often do. I've long been interested in genealogy, tracing my family tree and learning about the lives of my ancestors. Melanie's ancestry is rich in the area's history and I looked forward to uncovering each clue to the family's past as the story unfolded.
Melanie is as infuriating as ever. She's extremely stubborn and there were times in the book when I wanted to shake her and tell her to get over it, especially when it came to Jack. As she did in the previous book, she continues to fight her attraction to Jack Trenholm who is finishing up his book on the mystery surrounding the house on Tradd Street and helping her with her current predicament. Melanie's had to deal with a lot in her life, having been abandoned by her mother at a young age and then living with an alcoholic father. Trust does not come easy for her nor does relinquishing control. She's worked hard to be successful in her career as a realtor and to reach the point she is at currently in her life. Underneath her tough exterior, lies a more vulnerable, softer side to Melanie. Even for the times that Melanie may grate on my nerves, I do like her. She has spunk and a good head on her shoulders--at least when it comes to things other than men. And, in the end, she does the right thing.
Melanie has all her defenses up when her mother returns to her life, but as the ghost of her grandmother has tried to tell her, "we are not what we seem", so her mother's reason for leaving all those years ago may not be as cut and dry as Melanie believes. Her mother has her own secrets. Melanie and her mother have a lot of healing to do if they are to have any sort of relationship. While Melanie's relationship with Jack never seems to go anywhere, her relationship with her mother does in fact evolve over the course of the book. I could see the subtle changes in Melanie's relationship with her mother, as well as in her mother and father's relationship, the two of them having been estranged for a number of years as well.
I enjoyed my time with The Girl on Legare Street overall, even if I quickly grew tired of the back and forth between Melanie and Jack. My interest in ghost stories has increased in the last year or so and the world Karen White has created is good for a quick fix. show less
In book 2 of the series, realtor Melanie is brought together with her mother, whom she hasn’t seen, nor heard from, in 33 years; her mother left when Melanie was 7. Her mother wants “Melly” to help her buy their ancestral home. In the meantime, a ship has been recovered... a ship belonging to their ancestors, and a body is found on it. Also, there are mysterious portraits in the attic of the house – who are the girls in the portraits?
I should have reread my review for the first book before getting this one on audio. I warned myself that I should not do the audio for the second one. Oops! So, I listened to the audio again and it was no better. It didn’t hold my attention enough to follow everything, though I got the gist. show more I’m giving it (like the first one) an “ok” rating, but I’m stopping the series here.
The author ended both books with a “cliffhanger” kind of ending, in hopes that it would intrigue the reader enough to continue. It worked after the first book, but it’s not working again. I don’t think I liked a single character in the book! The main character, Melanie, I was neutral about, but I really disliked both her mother and the potential love interest, Jack. Wow, could either of them be any more pushy!? They both constantly annoyed me. show less
I should have reread my review for the first book before getting this one on audio. I warned myself that I should not do the audio for the second one. Oops! So, I listened to the audio again and it was no better. It didn’t hold my attention enough to follow everything, though I got the gist. show more I’m giving it (like the first one) an “ok” rating, but I’m stopping the series here.
The author ended both books with a “cliffhanger” kind of ending, in hopes that it would intrigue the reader enough to continue. It worked after the first book, but it’s not working again. I don’t think I liked a single character in the book! The main character, Melanie, I was neutral about, but I really disliked both her mother and the potential love interest, Jack. Wow, could either of them be any more pushy!? They both constantly annoyed me. show less
Melanie Middleton and Jack Trenholm, that quarrelsome investigative duo is back, and in between falling in love or maybe just getting on each other’s last nerve, they have another mystery to solve. Melanie’s mother, from whom Melanie has been estranged since childhood, has returned from living overseas and wants to buy her own mother’s old home on Legare Street and warn Melanie of the grave danger that surrounds her. Melanie’s mother claims that she has always had her best interests at heart, but among other things, Melanie is still hurt by her abandonment and is suspicious now because she seems to know more than she will say about the strange goings on in the Legare Street house. It remains to be seen is if she can put aside show more differences with her mother long enough to save both their lives from ghostly presences.
Karen White has created an engaging yet thoroughly frustrating twosome with would be lovers, Melanie and Jack. What’s so appealing about them is that their characterization is truthfully rooted in the defenses and coping mechanisms they each have formed due to painful events from their past. There is something a bit endearing about watching Melanie trying to keep control of a life that she used to be able to manage through careful and rigid planning. With Jack, and her family and friends trying to help her restore old houses and solve old mysteries, the days of order are gone forever. I was happy to see that best friend, and ever questionably dressed Dr. Sophie Wallen was back along with her “boyfriend”. They were great sources of comic relief. I also enjoyed the interaction that both Jack and Melanie had with former lovers more than how they interacted with each other, especially since any gains that they had previously made in their relationship seemed to have vanished.
While Jack and Melanie tried my patience, I did really love all of the research that went into this novel and the descriptions of the old houses, their restoration and the history and practices of the people who settled and became South Carolina’s most illustrious families. I was particularly interested in the “wreckers”, people who intentionally shined lights at ships and directed them into dangerous and rock waters where they killed the passengers on board and stole their cargo. The ghost story kept me guessing until nearly the end, and the ending clearly paves the way for the next in the series, and it seems that it delve more deeply into Jack’s past.
Both the House on Tradd Street and The Girl on Legare Street walk the line of being fun and well written mystery/ghost stories while still exploring the more serious issues of abandonment and alcoholism. I might not be able to continue with Melanie and Jack because their relationship just frustrates me to no end, but I enjoy White’s writing and I am looking forward to the new book, On Folly Beach, that she mentioned when she stopped by Linus’s Blanket earlier this month for an interview (read Karen White’s interview). show less
Karen White has created an engaging yet thoroughly frustrating twosome with would be lovers, Melanie and Jack. What’s so appealing about them is that their characterization is truthfully rooted in the defenses and coping mechanisms they each have formed due to painful events from their past. There is something a bit endearing about watching Melanie trying to keep control of a life that she used to be able to manage through careful and rigid planning. With Jack, and her family and friends trying to help her restore old houses and solve old mysteries, the days of order are gone forever. I was happy to see that best friend, and ever questionably dressed Dr. Sophie Wallen was back along with her “boyfriend”. They were great sources of comic relief. I also enjoyed the interaction that both Jack and Melanie had with former lovers more than how they interacted with each other, especially since any gains that they had previously made in their relationship seemed to have vanished.
While Jack and Melanie tried my patience, I did really love all of the research that went into this novel and the descriptions of the old houses, their restoration and the history and practices of the people who settled and became South Carolina’s most illustrious families. I was particularly interested in the “wreckers”, people who intentionally shined lights at ships and directed them into dangerous and rock waters where they killed the passengers on board and stole their cargo. The ghost story kept me guessing until nearly the end, and the ending clearly paves the way for the next in the series, and it seems that it delve more deeply into Jack’s past.
Both the House on Tradd Street and The Girl on Legare Street walk the line of being fun and well written mystery/ghost stories while still exploring the more serious issues of abandonment and alcoholism. I might not be able to continue with Melanie and Jack because their relationship just frustrates me to no end, but I enjoy White’s writing and I am looking forward to the new book, On Folly Beach, that she mentioned when she stopped by Linus’s Blanket earlier this month for an interview (read Karen White’s interview). show less
Ghosts surround Melanie Middleton like cobwebs – present in the corners of every encounter, but typically just filling the background of her life, feather-soft and unintrusive. After almost 40 years of practice, she’d learned how to block out the voices only she can hear – until she inherited an historic home in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. And after solving a decades-old mystery on Tradd, her attention is called to a new location: Legare Street, site of her family’s ancestral home, sold when Melanie, now a Realtor, was young. The house is back on the market and though she’s promised a big sale, the listing comes with a price — a reconnection with her mother, Ginnette Priloeau Middleton, a famous opera singer who’s show more emerged on the scene after spending decades away from her only daughter with hardly a word.
As we learned in Karen White’s first novel following Melanie’s escapades, The House On Tradd Street, our narrator is a determined but very vulnerable woman — still susceptible to the pain of remembering her mother’s abandonment, which is never far from the surface of the narration. Ginnette, herself a psychic, has returned to Charleston with a warning for her daughter, and with one cryptic sentence — “We are not as we seem” — events are set in motion which will require Melanie to work with her mother to figure out what — or whom — is haunting the Legare home. Before things really get dangerous. Of course, the promise of a new mystery to unravel is enough to lure writer Jack Trenholm, Melanie’s obvious-to-everyone-but-her crush, back into the picture. And thus the trio sets out on trying to make sense of the ghosts haunting Legare — and Melanie must sift through her tangled feelings for both her mother and Jack in the process. And when a reporter arrives on the scene asking some hard questions, everyone has to come up with answers.
I can say unabashedly I enjoyed The Girl On Legare Street as much -- if not more -- than its predecessor, which I thought was funny, well-written, interesting and romantic. It’s been a long time since I felt the familiar zing! of well-written romantic tension, and White’s book has everything: family dynamics, love, friendship and mystery. Though Melanie’s grudge against her mother did become very tedious about halfway through the novel, I knew that she’d have to forgive her eventually — and eagerly waited for that scene when all would be revealed.
The mystery in this novel — centering around an old, sunken boat discovered off the coast of South Carolina — was, to me, much more intriguing than the family saga unfolding in The House On Tradd Street. Perhaps because this novel directly impacted Melanie, I felt more personally invested in what would be discovered, and felt more about what was happening. This one also spooked me far more than the first book! Though I’m admittedly skittish by nature, The Girl On Legare Street seemed to pack much more of a paranormal punch — but never to the point of gore or violence.
Fans of Southern fiction will find much to love in the lush, charismatic South Carolina setting, and those who get a kick out of paranormal fiction will appreciate the ghost stories and family secrets binding the book together. The push-and-pull tension between Jack and Melanie will please romance fans — like yours truly — and I am happy that plot moved forward a bit with this book. And an unexpected ending leaves me wondering whether or not we’ll see another adventure from White yet. Would I return again to her world where nothing is as it seems? You bet, y’all! show less
As we learned in Karen White’s first novel following Melanie’s escapades, The House On Tradd Street, our narrator is a determined but very vulnerable woman — still susceptible to the pain of remembering her mother’s abandonment, which is never far from the surface of the narration. Ginnette, herself a psychic, has returned to Charleston with a warning for her daughter, and with one cryptic sentence — “We are not as we seem” — events are set in motion which will require Melanie to work with her mother to figure out what — or whom — is haunting the Legare home. Before things really get dangerous. Of course, the promise of a new mystery to unravel is enough to lure writer Jack Trenholm, Melanie’s obvious-to-everyone-but-her crush, back into the picture. And thus the trio sets out on trying to make sense of the ghosts haunting Legare — and Melanie must sift through her tangled feelings for both her mother and Jack in the process. And when a reporter arrives on the scene asking some hard questions, everyone has to come up with answers.
I can say unabashedly I enjoyed The Girl On Legare Street as much -- if not more -- than its predecessor, which I thought was funny, well-written, interesting and romantic. It’s been a long time since I felt the familiar zing! of well-written romantic tension, and White’s book has everything: family dynamics, love, friendship and mystery. Though Melanie’s grudge against her mother did become very tedious about halfway through the novel, I knew that she’d have to forgive her eventually — and eagerly waited for that scene when all would be revealed.
The mystery in this novel — centering around an old, sunken boat discovered off the coast of South Carolina — was, to me, much more intriguing than the family saga unfolding in The House On Tradd Street. Perhaps because this novel directly impacted Melanie, I felt more personally invested in what would be discovered, and felt more about what was happening. This one also spooked me far more than the first book! Though I’m admittedly skittish by nature, The Girl On Legare Street seemed to pack much more of a paranormal punch — but never to the point of gore or violence.
Fans of Southern fiction will find much to love in the lush, charismatic South Carolina setting, and those who get a kick out of paranormal fiction will appreciate the ghost stories and family secrets binding the book together. The push-and-pull tension between Jack and Melanie will please romance fans — like yours truly — and I am happy that plot moved forward a bit with this book. And an unexpected ending leaves me wondering whether or not we’ll see another adventure from White yet. Would I return again to her world where nothing is as it seems? You bet, y’all! show less
The Girl on Legare Street is the second book in a series by Karen White to feature Melanie, a realtor living in South Carolina who can see ghosts. The series began with The House on Tradd Street however this one can be read as a stand-alone.
Melanie is now restoring her historic (and inherited) home on Tradd Street with friends, when she is asked to purchase a home for her estranged mother. Melanie hasn't spoken to her mother since the opera singer left her as a child and the animosity is palpable.
One small thing that did irk me though, was the number of times the characters raised their eyebrows, or moved their eyebrows in the book. I read the e-book version so was able to do a search and it was an astonishing 47 times, argh!
That aside, show more when I wasn't reading it, I couldn't wait to pick it up again which means a high rating for me. I highly recommend The Girl on Legare Street for readers who enjoy a plot driven novel with great characters, historic restoration and a little ghost hunting.
P.S. There are two more in the series, and I might just check them out: The Strangers on Montagu Street and Return to Tradd Street. show less
Melanie is now restoring her historic (and inherited) home on Tradd Street with friends, when she is asked to purchase a home for her estranged mother. Melanie hasn't spoken to her mother since the opera singer left her as a child and the animosity is palpable.
One small thing that did irk me though, was the number of times the characters raised their eyebrows, or moved their eyebrows in the book. I read the e-book version so was able to do a search and it was an astonishing 47 times, argh!
That aside, show more when I wasn't reading it, I couldn't wait to pick it up again which means a high rating for me. I highly recommend The Girl on Legare Street for readers who enjoy a plot driven novel with great characters, historic restoration and a little ghost hunting.
P.S. There are two more in the series, and I might just check them out: The Strangers on Montagu Street and Return to Tradd Street. show less
The Girl on Legare Street
4 Stars
Its been six months since the events on Tradd Street and Melanie is in the midst of renovating her historic house when ghosts from her past, both living and dead, arrive to haunt her present.
Jack and Melanie’s push-pull relationship is both the highlight and downside of the book. Their banter is hysterical and their chemistry sizzles, but Melanie is as prickly and obstinate as ever with her refusal to see what is right in front of her. Jack is just as bad, and there were times I wanted to lock them in a room together so they would finally acknowledge what every reader already knows.
To make matters worse, there is another love triangle to put a damper on the romance. In this case it is Rebecca, a woman show more from Jack’s past who also has a strange connection to Melanie. Rebecca comes across as all sweetness and light, but is, in fact, a manipulative liar. The fact that Jack cannot see past her machinations is exceedingly irritating and Melanie’s unwillingness to confront her out of manners and politeness gets very old very quickly.
As in the previous book, the Southern charm and gothic atmosphere of the city of Charleston are a perfect backdrop to the ghostly mystery, and Karen White’s attention to detail and knowledge of history are fantastic. Although the explanation for the malicious spirit is obvious about halfway through, it is still fun following the clues with Melanie and Jack as they unravel the threads and expose the secrets of Melanie’s family tree.
Amelie Bruneau’s narration is fabulous and her soft Southern accent just reels you in. She really captures the heroine's essence and makes it easier to empathize with Melanie despite her flaws.
All in all, The Girl of Legare Street is an entertaining sequel with a compelling mystery although the romance needs to get a move on and live up to its potential. show less
4 Stars
Its been six months since the events on Tradd Street and Melanie is in the midst of renovating her historic house when ghosts from her past, both living and dead, arrive to haunt her present.
Jack and Melanie’s push-pull relationship is both the highlight and downside of the book. Their banter is hysterical and their chemistry sizzles, but Melanie is as prickly and obstinate as ever with her refusal to see what is right in front of her. Jack is just as bad, and there were times I wanted to lock them in a room together so they would finally acknowledge what every reader already knows.
To make matters worse, there is another love triangle to put a damper on the romance. In this case it is Rebecca, a woman show more from Jack’s past who also has a strange connection to Melanie. Rebecca comes across as all sweetness and light, but is, in fact, a manipulative liar. The fact that Jack cannot see past her machinations is exceedingly irritating and Melanie’s unwillingness to confront her out of manners and politeness gets very old very quickly.
As in the previous book, the Southern charm and gothic atmosphere of the city of Charleston are a perfect backdrop to the ghostly mystery, and Karen White’s attention to detail and knowledge of history are fantastic. Although the explanation for the malicious spirit is obvious about halfway through, it is still fun following the clues with Melanie and Jack as they unravel the threads and expose the secrets of Melanie’s family tree.
Amelie Bruneau’s narration is fabulous and her soft Southern accent just reels you in. She really captures the heroine's essence and makes it easier to empathize with Melanie despite her flaws.
All in all, The Girl of Legare Street is an entertaining sequel with a compelling mystery although the romance needs to get a move on and live up to its potential. show less
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Karen White was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She attended college at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science in Management. Her first book, In the Shadow of the Moon was a double finalist for the Romance Writers of America RITA Award. The Girl on Legare Street hit The New York Times Best Seller list in show more November 2009, and On Folly Beach in May 2010, which was also a NYT bestseller. Most of White's novels are based in the low-country of the southeastern United States. Some of her other titles include: The House on Tradd Street, The Lost Hours and The Memory of Water. Her title's Sea Change, The Time Between and The Sound of Glass made the New York Times Best Seller List. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Awards
Series
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Girl on Legare Street
- Original publication date
- 2009-11-03
- People/Characters
- Melanie Middleton; Jack Trenholm; Ginnette Prioleau Middleton; Rebecca Edgerton; Wilhelm; Yvonne Craig
- Important places
- Charleston, South Carolina, USA
- Dedication
- To Claire White Kobylt, who's known me longer than just about everybody, and who likes me anyway. Thanks for your friendship.
- First words
- The milky glow of a winter sun behind a sky rubbed the color of an old nickel failed in its feeble attempt to warm the November morning.
- Quotations
- I was miserable, wanting him to talk to me but dreading what he might say. I was afraid of him not being in my life anymore, but terrifed of what he'd need me to do to keep him there.
But I held back, focusing instead on the millions of reasons why kissing Jack Trenholm was a bad idea, the least of which being his ability to make me lose control. And being in control was the only thing I'd learned that I c... (show all)ould truly count on. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"I'll let you talk in private," I said before sweeping back into the front hall of my Tradd Street house, smelling the scents of varnished wood and new paint that reminded me I was home, then closed the door behind me.
- Blurbers
- Sparks, Kerrelyn
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- Reviews
- 25
- Rating
- (3.88)
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- English
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- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 14
- ASINs
- 4
